SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone Boys Basketball Preview - Damien, St. Francis
Both teams will be trying to fill big holes while playing in two of the toughest leagues in the state of California.
(Damien HS Athletics)
Damien High School
Coach: Mike LeDuc
2011-22 Record: 32-4, CIF-State Div. 1 Champions
Assistant coaches: Darin Zabel, Eric Johnson, David Ng, Andre McLean
PROJECTED GUARDS RETURNING
Lucas Arrietta: 10, 5'11, Point Guard
Jake McKinn: 12, 5'10, Guard
Malcolm Windross: 12, 6'0, Guard
Caiden Brown: 12, 6'0, Guard
PROJECTED FORWARDS RETURNING
Elijah Brown: 12, 6'4, Wing
Xavier Clinton: 11, 6'3, Wing
PROJECTED CENTERS RETURNING
Nate Garcia: 10, 6'11, Center
TOP NEWCOMERS
Eli Garner: 9, 6'4, Wing
2022-23 Schedule: 2022-23 Damien Schedule
Coach LeDuc Comments: “We lack experience this year but do have more depth than last year. We are going to be young with probably 2 sophomores and a freshman starting. 1 senior and 1 junior should round up the starting 5. Nate Garcia in the center position continues to improve each day and will be a major factor in our success.”
CRYSTAL BALL: What a year it was for those involved with Damien basketball, culminating with a Division 1 championship in Sacramento. That was then and this is now, which means this year’s team will have a much different look to it. R.J. Smith is gone to Colorado and Jimmy Oladukun transferred over to Sierra Canyon (which had us shaking our heads). Caiden Brown, Elijah Brown, Nate Garcia. and Xavier Clinton are some of the returning players that coach Mike LeDuc will be leaning on this year. Those inside the program are extremely on Eli Garner, an incoming freshman that is a 6-4 wing forward that is very talented. Clearly, this team will be a work in progress, and you know that they’ll be tested early in this season and in “The Classic at Damien” tournament that they host every year that will take place during the Christmas break. A 20-win season is a good goal for this program with a decent playoff run. One thing you know for sure, this team will be coached up, well … they always are.
(St. Francis HS Athletics)
St. Francis High School
Coach: Todd Wolfson
2021-22 Record: 25-6
Assistant Coaches: Chris Acker, Jason Weatherall, Jeremy Major, Armando Avelar, Cameron Kanda, Josh Wilke, Tim Bell
PROJECTED GUARDS RETURNING
Jackson Mosley: 12, 5'9, 160. PG Being looked by many D2-D3 schools
Mazi Mosley: 10, 6'4, 180, PG. Being looked at by SDSU, UMKC
Luke McGrath 12 6'3 180 SG
PROJECTED FORWARDS RETURNING
Brandin Danztler: 12, 6'5, 210, PF
Geroge Tupy: 12, 6'8, 220, PF
Joe Hickey: 10, 6'6, 205, PF
Ethan Childs: 11, 6'6, 180, SF
PROJECTED CENTERS RETURNING
Kennedy Mitchell Egbo 11 6'6 240 C
2022-23 Schedule: St. Francis 2022-23 Basketball Schedule
CRYSTAL BALL: When we asked coach Todd Wolfson for his thoughts on the season, his answer is what St. Francis basketball is all about. “We will play hard and we will have some fun.” That in a nutshell best describes the philosophy of the Golden Knights program. They do play hard and have a lot of fun at it. It has been a formula that has worked ever since Wolfson arrived at the La Canada-based campus from Chaminade. Much like the top teams in the area, they are some big holes to fill from last year’s team. The departure of Jake Goldberg and Buckley Dejardin due to graduation will hit hard. However, it has been fun to see the growth of Jackson Mosley. He has a defensive force that causes many turnovers. Look for Luke McGrath to shoulder the responsibility of putting up big numbers on the offensive side. The depth of this team at the forward position is hard to ignore. It’ll be fun to see how much Kennedy Mitchell Egbo has improved and if he can crack the starting five. The Golden Knights play in the toughest league in the United States, the Mission League, and a third-place finish should set them up well for a deep playoff run. There is a saying in the Mission League, “Every week is a season.” That will be the case this year, but we are buying into the upside of St. Francis. Follow closely!